What keeps HEHS running from day to day?

Students may come to Hoffman Estates High School everyday and not realize just who keeps this school running. Adults who work as janitors, student supervisors, and bus drivers do a lot of work that goes unnoticed in a student’s day to day schedule.

“I get all of the buses ready every morning for all of the drivers at around 5:00 to 5:15 a.m.,” says  David Grabarek, a bus driver and PE teacher at HEHS.

Grabarek also explains how he doesn’t just drive the buses because it’s his job.

He feels as if being a bus driver and a teacher at the same time makes a more comfortable environment for the students. When the students develop a relationship with him, their behavior takes a positive turn.

Another  group of staff members that do a lot of work and stay up late or wake up super early are the janitors. One of the janitors, who wanted to remain anonymous, talks about the schedule and the labor that goes with his job.

“Our schedule is a little complicated because it’s almost like a third shift, 3:00 to midnight,”  he says.

Our school is one big building filled with hundreds and hundreds of students, so covering everything is a huge struggle, especially when students carelessly drop their trash everywhere.

“I have noticed in the classrooms there’s a lot of food. Like tons of trash. There’s more gum than anything. People write on walls, under the desk. Not doing these would make life a lot easier,” he said.

He also brings up that being a janitor isn’t as easy as many people think it is.

“You can get a wet rag and put it on a surface and say you’re done, but did you sanitize the place properly? No! You also need knowledge about the chemicals and how to use the equipment,” he said.

A few students, including Senior Sammy Sharief, talk about how school would not be the bright, clean building it is without janitors.

“If someone isn’t here to fix up the issues and mess, then the entire place is gonna be dirty. Studies show that people are more likely to do better in studies in a clean place,” said Sharief.

“There are good kids who look for you to share their thoughts and they also trust you enough to come to you,” says Tina Canali, one of the student supervisors at the school.

Canali and other student supervisors are not limited to just doing one task a day.

“I supervise the cafeteria, scan kids in and out by the doors and then I go back to the cafeteria where there is seminar. I also pass out slips and pull (students) out of class. I make sure that the students are safe. My schedule changes every quarter,” she said.

It is surprising to figure out just how much these student supervisors actually help the school and it’s students

“People would just go missing and parents and teachers would panic,” said Vivienne Madsen and Julia Chom when asked what would school be like without student supervisors.